Dr Jim Carfrae

Lecturer in Environmental Building

School of Architecture, Design and Environment (Faculty of Arts & Humanities)

Biography

Role

Lecturer in Building Physics, Energy Use in Buildings and Low Impact Materials

Qualifications

Jim has had three different careers in the last 30 years, but they all involved designing and making useful objects; shoes, loudspeakers and buildings. Analysing, design and construction are the key skills.

Jim also runs his own business, designing and building low impact dwellings - particularly using straw bales.This means that Jim can bring to his work an all-round knowledge of how buildings work, and how to build them.

Research

Research interests

The moisture performance of Non-Food Crop building materials.Moisture profiles through straw bale walls

The balance of embodied energy to energy in use in low carbon dwellings

Research groups

Environmental Building

Publications

Journal Articles:

Carfrae J, de Wilde P, Littlewood J, Goodhew S, Walker P. Development of a cost effective probe for the long term monitoring of straw bale buildings. Building and Environment. 2011;46:156-64.

Carfrae J, deWilde P, Littlewood J, Goodhew S, Walker P. Long Term Evaluation of the Performance of a Straw Bale House built in a Temperate Maritime Climate. 11th International Conference on Non-conventional Materials and Technologies (NOCMAT 2009). University of Bath2009.